Length-determining device for drying forms



G. O. MORTON LENGTH DETERMINING DEVICE FOR DRYING FORMS Fi led Aug. 16.1919 fx ji Patented Get. 23, jggg' knairsa stars ari GUST 0. MORTON,oraooxroan, ILLINOIS.

LENGTH-DETERMINING 'nnvron non erms Forms.

Application filed August 16,1919.

reference to the holding of knitted articles on dryingforms, as forexample, the holding of hosiery or mittens the drying process.

In the course of preparing knitted arti cles, such as stockings andmittens for the market, it is necessary to dry them on appropriateforms. The knitted article in a moist condition is drawn onto theshaping form, which is either heated internally or passed through adrying compartment. In large knitting factories the drying rooms are ofconsiderable size and each attendant takes care of a large number offorms, that is, places the stockings or other knitted articles on andremoves them from the forms. Since articles originally of a common sizeare very frequently drawn onto the forms to unequal lengths, due to thehaste of the attendant and also to thelack of proper gages fordetermining the length, the articles do not dry to uniform lengths.Consequently they must be later matched or paired which takes upconsiderable extra time. But perhaps the greatest cause of unequallengths is the shrinking and drawing of the article onto the form duringthe drying process.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a simple andpracticalmeans for insuring drying of stockings, socks, mittens andother similar knitted articles to uniform lengths and to permit theattainment of this object without imposing such attention and care onthe part of the operator as would delay his work in handling a givennumber of drying forms. I

In furtherance haveaimed to provide in co-operative rela tion with eachdrying form a pair of spring pressed members adapted to yieldinglyengage the opposite sides of the article near the bottom thereof to sohold the article in connection with the form as to prevent shrinking,drawing or shortening in any manner during the drying process. Thesegripping or article engaging members are on forms during of this generalobject, I"

Serial No. 313,065.

arranged in a novel manner to effectually perform thedesired functionand permit of quick actuation to and from their operative andinoperative positions. I have also aimed to provide a simple means foractuating the presser members for si 'nultaneously returning a pluralityof them to inoperative position to permit quick removal of the articlesfrom the forms.

Other objects and attendant advantages will be appreciated as theinvention becomes better understood by reference to the followingdescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in Which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a drying and shapingform provements; I H p A F g. 2, an end view, partly in section, of mymprovements; and

equipped with an article-gripping means embodying my im- Fig. 3, a plansectional view taken on the 7 line 3 3 of Fig. 1. k

My improvements are designed for use in connection with drying andshaping forms .5 c I of'the kind employed in knittingfactories fordrying knit-ted articles of various descriptions. The forms are made tosuit the particular size, shape and configuration of the articles to bedried, it being obvious that so far as the present invention isconcerned, it is immaterial whether the form be for a stocking, sock,mitten or any other similar article of a kind that is open at one endand adapted to be drawn onto a form for drying and shaping. In thepresent exemplificat-ionof my improvements, a form such as illustratedand claimed in my-United States Letters Patent No; 1,323,642, Dec; 2,1919, is shown. It consists of a hollow body having curved oppositewalls 4 joined by a coupling 5 which constitutes a'sh'apin'g and guidingedge. The heating medium. is delivered to the form through the base 6there of, and the upper portion"? is shaped to rearticle is drawn ontothe; form in 'a mois tened condition, and so far as am aware, heretoforeemployed or in all equipment provided for drying rooms, there have beenno simple and practical means provided for insuring against unevenshrinking and drawing of the articles while on the forms.

My invention contemplates equipping each form with a simple deviceforengaging article for and against the dryin take up the attendants timeor decrease the here in engagement with the movement of the grippingmembers.

work capacity of a drying room.

With the foregoing in mint l have provided a pair of gripping members 8and 9 each having one or more serrated gripping edges 11 shaped toconform to the periphcry of the drying form and engage opposite sides ofthe article evenly at spaced points throughout substantially the entireperiphery of each article. I have now mounted these gripping members sothat they may be quickly and easily moved to and from operative andinoperative positions and have provided means for yieldingly andcontinuously urging or holding the memarticle to prevent its movementlengthwise on the form. To these ends, the gripping or holding members 8and 9 are carried respectively on the outer ends of levers 12 and 13pivotally mounted at 14 on a suitable supporting frame 15, which in thisinstance is removably mounted on the base of the drying form. The levers12 and 18 in this instance are in the form of bell cranks, the oppositearms 16 and 17 01 which are connected by rods 18 and 19 respectively.The arms 16 and 1'? are so arranged that when the gripping members arein the operative position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the rods 18and-.19 will be disposed in a horizontal plane above the pivots 14. Thegripping members in this position are urged by a spring pressure againstthe form to hold an interposed article against movement thereon. Thisyielding pressure is imposed in this instance by contractile springs 21connecting the rods 18 and 19. The springs also serve to hold thegripping members in an inoperative position as shown in dotted lines inFig. 2, in which the arms 12 and 18 after having been swung outwardly,bringing their rods 18 and 19 respectively below the horizontal plane ofthe pivots 1 1, will be limited by contact against the steps 22 formedin this instance on the upright portions of the sup porting frame 15..ln order to move. the gripping members to and from their several positby means of a link 23 which is adapted be moved vertically by actuationof a rod 2 1 connected medially to the link. The rod 24: in turn may beoperated. either by a. foot pedal or suitable hand lever to enable quickUr, if desired, crank may be employed for moving the gripping members toinoperative position. As shown in Fig. 2, a crank 25 fixed to a shaft 26mounted on the frame ions in unison, l have connected thenr ate an arm15 is adapted to oscill fixed to the sh 26 and posed the rods 18 and 19.Upon mo crank in a counterclcc i levers 12 will be drawn operativeposition, and by swing crank in the opposite direction until engages therod 19, the levers it w be swung to inoperative position. it actuatingdevice of this kind the rock 1 26 may be eiltended to cooperate seriesof gripping devices or th chain mind, and by mounting an a shaft 26 inCO-OPQI'tliZlYQ gripping device all oi the inter ipping bers on one sideor the terms may be drawn by one operation of the c those on the otherside; may be si 2 ly withdrawn by reverse movement of the crank. it willthus be seen that my vention contemplates the provision or a. commonoperating member adapted actuating the grippers of av plurality ofgripping devices to quicken the work.

When the forms are empt the grippin members are in the inoperativepositio shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The tendant places a knittedarticle on the for draws the article down until a certain or mark isreached, whereupon he will swin the gripping arms inwardly to hold t orthe article in the desired position. result is that the article will notdraw upwardly on the form during the crying process, but will bepositively held to a given length, thus obviating the necessity ofafterwards assorting and mating the articles is now the common practice.Since the forms are generally arranged in rows, certain series of formswould be connected by l single shaft 26 or an operating member connectedwith the several members 2% 0 said series, it operating members oflatter type are used. Thus, when articles in this series have been driedthe l attendant will withdraw all the gripping members by quickactuation of the crank or other operating i'nember employed, so that thearticles of this eries may be removed with the same speed and dispatchand in the same order as though no gripping device had been employed.Thus, a gripping vice of this character requires but very littleadditional time on the part of the operator and insures drying of thearticles to uniform or given lengths.

it is believed that the foregoing conveys a clear understanding of myinvention and of the objects pretaced'above, and wh T have illustratedand described but a su practical working embodiment of my provementswith the exception or operating means of which two shown, it should beunderstood that varic upon which a knitted so'that the the spirit andscope of the invention as expressed infthe-appen'ded claims, in Which- Iclaim: .1. The combination,

be drawn, gripping members adapted to hold the article on' oppositesides of the form,-bell crank levers, carrying said gripping members,and spring actuated meansarranged springpressure will hold the bellcrank members in ope'rative'and inoperative positions. V V r 2. Thecombination of a hollow form over which a garment to be dried isadapted'to be stretched of a clamp at each "side of the form forpreventing a garment from creepthe f0 lever, means for swing} ing "saidlever into and out of I garment- 1 clampingvpositiomva connectionbetween the of a drying form. article is adapted'to clamps for causingthem'to move in unison,

and a spring for holding the clamps both in" I and outof saidgarment-clamping position. 3." The combination with aholloW form overwhich a garment to be driedlis adapted to be stretched, of a clamp ,ateach side of rinfi for. preventing the garment from creeping thereon,means for; moving said clamps into and outof a holding the clamps bothin and out of said garment-holding position. 1 i e garment clampingposition, and spr ng actuated means for ing thereon, one of said clampsbeing in the form of abell crank GUST o. MORTON. i

